Area youth rally Haiti support

 The global outpouring of support for Haitian earthquake victims includes efforts by Mother Lode children and teenagers.

Various church youth groups including Word of Life Fellowship, Sierra Bible Church, Christian Heights, Creekside Community Church and Chapel in the Pines are working together to raise money for Haiti, said Kennan McDonald, of Word of Life.
 

  A Christian rock concert will be held at 7 p.m. Monday at Sierra Bible Church featuring This Beautiful Republic, The Red Airplanes and two local bands.

The concert was going to be held before, but in the wake of the earthquake, the youth agreed to make it a fundraiser, McDonald said.

The ROCK.RELIEF.RESCUE. concert is open to all ages and costs $5 per person or $15 per family.

The money will be donated to the Mountain Mercy Project, a group of Mother Lode residents committed to Haiti relief and reconstruction.

For more information about Mountain Mercy, visit www.mountainmercyproject.org.

“The purpose of this event is not just to raise money for Haiti, but to give the youth in our community the opportunity to make a difference in the world,” McDonald said. “It is a chance for the kids to know that they can impact and change the world, and to help people in need.”

McDonald said about 30 to 50 area kids are “really” involved in the concert and there are 100 to 200 other kids “spreading the word.”

“We have an 11-year-old girl who wanted to help out so bad she’s organizing a bake sale,” to be held at the concert, McDonald said.

“We’re going to have fun, yes, but it’s an opportunity for Tuolumne County kids to make a difference,” he said.

Lauren Babros, 17, of Sonora, will sing with her band at the concert Monday.

“They’re in great need right now,” she said of Haitians. “And we just want to come together for a great cause.”

Guitarist Richie McClure, 17, of Sonora, said he feels bad for those who lost their homes and family members.

“We have so much ... I think helping them any way we can is something God wants us to do,” McClure said.

Christian Heights music pastor Loren Laumer said many young people want to reach out and help others but they just need some direction.

Church groups are not the only ones mobilizing.    

 Schools and classrooms across Tuolumne and Calaveras counties have raised money for Haitian earthquake victims.

Tenaya Elementary third- and fourth-graders raised money and practiced their multiplication tables in a fundraiser in Ellen Jeffrey’s class.

Student council students at Copperopolis Elementary raised $300 for the Red Cross for Haiti, said Julia Tidball, principal.

LINK Crew students at Sonora High School collected several thousand dollars in a day and a half through a dollar donation fundraiser, Principal Todd Dearden said.

“They wanted to do something about it. I was impressed with the speed in which they did it,” Dearden said.

Belleview Elementary School students raised between $200 and $300, said Principal Paula Maucere.

“We have families that are really struggling right now. We’re really proud of what we’ve got,” Maucere said. “You want the next generation to see when people are in need and give what they can because they in return get a gift through giving. It was inspiring for the adults at school to see them take the idea and run with it.